Λεφτά αγοράζουνε ψωμί, μα όχι ευγνωμοσύνη.
“Money buys bread, but it doesn’t buy gratitude.”
Sandwiches are not historically a Greek snack or quick meal. But bread is by far the most popular manifestation of carbs in the Greek diet, so it stands to reason that the sandwich and all its variations have long been a part of the culinary landscape in Greece.
My oldest memories of anything remotely resembling a sandwich emporium were the tost shops, selling the local equivalent of panini, that used to dot Athens and other places around the country, especially appealing to this nation of fierce individualists who could make their own from a large choice of everything from tomatoes and cheeses to cooked omelets, Greek meatballs, and myriad spreads.
The last few years have seen a sandwich renaissance in Athens, with a handful of shops brimming with gourmet flair, a range of ingredients from all over Greece and the wider Mediterranean, and sandwich meisters who take the job pretty seriously, putting together combinations that push the envelope on this once humble handheld food.
If the expression “between the bread” is a straightforward metaphor for the sandwich in its most classic shape and form, what to make, then, of the wrap, a long-standing Greek tradition if one considers the classic pita bread wraps stuffed with shavings or chunks of grilled lamb, chicken, or pork and all the fixings: tzatziki, tomatoes, lettuce, and spices? These, too, have gotten a modern face-lift, with everything from vegetable fritters to fried fish rolled into a handheld snack for on-the-go practitioners of the Greek Mediterranean Diet.
In the following chapter, wraps, layered and open sandwiches, and a few Greek heros are all reinterpretations of the classics, lighthearted and fun, healthy but also indulgent. Some are handheld and mobile, while others need a plate and a few minutes to savor.